Veteran Rights and Benefits
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This page was last updated on: November 6, 2009
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced a plan Nov. 3 for his agency to combine assets with the departments of Defense, Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development to end homelessness among veterans within five years. Working in cooperation with local government and charitable agencies, the VA and its federal partners plan to target the causes of homelessness – substance abuse, depression, and lack of education. Presently, an estimated 131,000 veterans live on the streets, according to the VA.
First-class and priority mail bound for service members in Afghanistan should be postmarked no later than Dec. 1 in order for delivery by Christmas, the U.S. Postal Service announced Oct. 28. Afghanistan-bound parcel airlift mail should be sent by no later than Dec. 1; space-available mail should be posted no later than Nov. 21. Parcel post mail bound for all other military overseas locations should be sent by Nov. 13. The Postal Service offers an online chart with all relevant holiday-mailing deadlines, at http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_082.htm. Families can also order free military care kits for sending packages overseas, by calling toll-free (800) 610-8734. The Postal Service Web site also includes details about rates, and other relevant mailing instructions.
President Obama signed the 2010 Defense Authorization Bill in an Oct. 28 White House ceremony, ensuring that service members will receive a 3.4-percent pay raise on Jan. 1. The measure signals the end to several programs considered too costly, including the F-22 fighter, the Army Future Combat System, and the replacement presidential helicopter. Resources are shifted instead to expanded family-leave benefits, funding for continuing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the F-35 joint strike fighter aircraft, and the purchase of more combat vehicles built to resist improvised explosive device (IED) attacks.
All 460,000 Army and Air National Guard members will receive injections of H1N1 influenza vaccine. The Defense Department announced Oct. 29 that it has obtained enough doses to inoculate the entire Active and reserve force. The Army Materiel Agency will begin shipping the vaccine to states in November; timetables for administering the shots are yet to be determined. In the meantime, Guard officials encourage members who can obtain vaccinations through other means to do so.
The Air Force has promoted 475 eligible senior master sergeants to chief master sergeant, out of a pool of 2,276 eligible candidates. Those selected averaged a testing score of 662.78, 3.4 years' time in grade, 23.23 years of military service, and 24.49 for decorations. The complete list of names will be posted on the Air Force Personnel Center Web site, www.afpc.randolph.mil/, in early November. Promotions will begin in January.
The Air Force seeking a total of 74 officers and enlisteds interested in taking part in a three- to-five-year Defense Department program aimed at supporting operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Under the Afghanistan Pakistan Hands Program, DoD intends to establish and field a cadre if experts in local language, culture and customs in the region. Pashtu, Dari, or Urdu language proficiency, and a background in counterinsurgency, are desired but not necessary. Persons interested in applying should contact their career field manager and supervisor.
The Marine Corps has released the names of senior non-commissioned officers selected for promotion to sergeant major and master gunnery sergeant. To view the list, read MARADMIN 0639/09 on the Web at http://www.marines.mil/news/messages/Pages/MARADMIN0639-09.aspx.
The Army now has 9,600 soldiers serving under Stop Loss – the policy that requires service members to remain in uniform beyond the expiration dates of their commitments in time of war or national emergency – down from a peak of 16,000 in 2005. Service officials expect the number to decline further, and be down to zero by March 2011. Deployments of Stop Loss soldiers will end by June.
The Defense Department is making good progress on the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq, but several issues still must play out for the transition to succeed, according to a Nov. 2 report by the Government Accountability Office. DoD needs to formulate better plans for contracting needs, determine if some contract costs “outweigh potential benefits,” and allocate more personnel to oversee contracts. “Key decisions about the disposition of some equipment have yet to be made,” the report also stated. The GAO also raised concerns about information technology systems incompatibility, which may raise cause problems with the equipment retrograde process. And DoD should address the issue of keeping tabs of inventory as it is placed in containers and shipped. The GAO plans to continue monitoring the drawdown progress.
President Obama issued an executive order Oct. 1, barring all military members, federal employees, and federal contractors from sending text messages while driving on military installations or operating vehicles owned, leased, or rented by the federal government. The ban also applies to driving privately owned vehicles while conducting government business. “Despite the shocking accident reports and warnings, people still text while driving,” said Mario Owens, the safety officer for the Army Installation Management Command. Time spent texting is time spent not paying attention to the road, studies show.
A Department of Transportation study showed that use of electronic devices factored into
16 percent of all fatal vehicle accidents in 2008.
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